An Unfinished Spell
by Dinokitty
Summary: Fifth year is the standard year for starting things harder than hexes and jinxes. In this case it is the first day of attempting patronus charms, students of all ages come even if they aren't part of the class. Younger years come to watch in awe and amazement while the older years come to laugh at the failures and watch out for the prodigies.
1. Chapter 1

Fifth year is the standard year for starting things harder than hexes and jinxes. In this case it is the first day of attempting patronus charms, students of all ages come even if they aren't part of the class. Younger years come to watch in awe and amazement while the older years come to laugh at the failures and watch out for the prodigies. You, known as Odin Arrow, however are there as an apprentice to the defense Professor and so you sit on the teacher's desk watching through half lidded eyes desperately wanting a smoke but knowing it isn't allowed inside the stone castle of a school.

The first to try is a girl with vibrant green hair. Her name is Maggie Lacivi and she's snarky with the cold Professor Pedri even when she knows he'll get her into trouble every time and she's cruel to you on the best days. She prances to the front of the room, heeled boots clicking on the floor every step causing you to flinch at the oddly loud sound in the quiet room. Twirling to face the onlookers Lacivi doesn't even acknowledge the way the others are whispering and muttering about her. Instead she casts the spell her voice strong and clear, "Expecto patromun!"

From her wand a silvery shade comes, a vague shape takes form and no one can say she isn't strong. Pedri looks down on her but cannot comment on her ability, instead he directs her away from the front and calls up the next student. None who come next can making anything forming a specific shape but all can form the silvery mist.

You can't help but be a little impressed. The best your class had been able to manage on the first day was a barley there mist and yet _everyone_ in this class managed that. Except it wasn't everyone, you notice it is three minutes to the bell and there is one person left that Pedri didn't bother to call. Nothing sparks your curiosity more than a mystery so you call her, glancing at the attendance sheet for reference, "Ire? A-Ava Ire?" You call in your own hoarse voice.

Pedri doesn't object even as he glares at you and this makes you even more curious. A girl who would barely make it to your chest and looks to be twelve rather than fifteen – _however you know she is in this class as you have caught yourself looking at her quite frequently_ – stands up slowly her head bowed the whole way.

She is timid as she makes it to the front, stumbling on the slight step to the raised platform. Her hands are shaking and nothing seems to make it stop even as she tries to take deep breaths, "E-expecto patromun."

Nothing.

Nothing come from her wand and her face goes red in a flash before the bell rings and she's scurrying off not even bothering to grab her bag. You are intrigued but don't chase after her, instead you go and grab her bag before Lacivi tries to mess with the contents. Pedri has a free period so you cannot get into trouble for skipping out, even so unnaturally bright and fuchsia eyes burn a hole in your back as you walk slowly towards the door opting for causal rather than hurriedly. No need to seem worried to them.

Snagging the bag in you right hand you throw it over your shoulder as you make your way through the students crowding the corridors. There are people pressing up against you and no certain amount of nervousness enters you but you ignore it as best you can. You already know where Ire has gone and so you head to the dungeons where a fire started five years ago that never seems to go out.

You are certain if one were to ask the house elves who stays there they would not be able to answer, Ire was more cautious than that. If you were to ask them who asked for mattresses and blankets for the fire room they would surely answer with 'Missy Lava'. You make sure your footsteps just enough to be heard so you don't scare her away. Wandering the hallways you can see the flickering light of fire but you cannot feel the heat yet.

Turning a corner you enter the room feeling the blaze at once but not feeling any of the heat. "Ire," you say walking farther in without any invitation. "You left your b-bag in the classroom. I don't think I need to tell you that's a bad idea with L-Lacivi in your class."

"I know that," she snaps. Dark eyes glow red from a pile of blankets where you can tell she is buried. "I just don't care that much. I've learned to make copied of everything anyways, I don't care if those things are destroyed either way."

You nod and sit in from of her close legged, "You k-know I could help you with the patronus charm if you l-like." It is a genuine offer, something your rarely give out.

"How could you do that?" she hisses. Suddenly there is venom in her voice and you are startled by that. "I know for a fact it took you far longer than anyone else in your class to get this stupid charm right."  
You flinch at the mention of your failure, "I know that, b-but I also know that I'm the one with an a-apprentice ship versus t-them." She doesn't seem able to form a response and instead remains silent. You don't move for your own spot, beginning to shiver a little at the cold draft because even with the fire there is no warmth in the room.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you…" Ire is quiet when she speaks but you can still hear her clearly. "I get upset easily and I take it out on the nearest person. I am sorry though." You glance over and notice her eyes are glowing much less so now and she seems to be calmer. "Did you mean it when you offered to tutor me in this charm?"

You nod because you did. You're not going to forget her temper however, "S-sure. I mean that is what I'm supposed to do r-right? I'm supposed to -hhelp students and all that." She nods now emerged from her pile of multihued red blankets. Ire offers you one and you give her a short smile in thanks, "You can call me Odin if you l-like. I'm no teacher but there isn't much I can do about that y-yet."

"Thanks Odin," Ire says smiling brightly at him her mood obviously lifted. "You can call me Ava if you want. I guess we'll be working together a bit if you're going to be helping me." Here the smile turned a little guarded but you don't mention it, still wary of setting her off again.

You had noticed the scorch marks on the walls and the dents in the stone in the floor. The black marks might've been from magic but the cracked stone certainly wasn't. "You have a free period today so we can practice now and after dinner if you want?" You offer the times even though you know in the evening you're supposed to be grading third years and down on their homework. "Unless you have too much homework to something."

"That sounds perfect."


	2. Chapter 2

Instead of spending long nights alone in your quarters grading half-assed essays by subpar students you're spending them curled up beside a timid rabbit getting a crash course in phycology. She is a spitfire beneath her quiet exterior and you don't know where it comes from. Nights of fireballs and more cracks in the floor remind you that small or not she is dangerous – _who ever heard of a rabbit attacking a wolf?_

On the third period of every Wednesday you wander down to the dungeons to the fire room and join Ava in practicing spells and jinxes and hexes. You conjure targets that looks like Lacivi while Ava summons a photo album where she takes a picture out every session. You don't ask who the distastefully glamorous woman is, it isn't your place but curiosity burns underneath your skin anyways.

"Odin, do you think there's a reason I can't cast a patronus?" Ave asks poking a stick into the fire where she had thrown a few sheets of parchment into. The fire didn't burn her as the paper went up in flames. "I think it's odd but no one else has ever mentioned a reason why to me, so it can't be that weird. Right?"

There are some days where you forget that she is a muggleborn with little to no knowledge of the wizarding world. While muggleborns aren't unusual in Hufflepuff they aren't certainly aren't discriminated against its still strange for you, who was originally in Slytherin, to see someone who didn't know about wizarding culture. The patronus charm isn't covered very heavily in class, the students are only taught enough to produce it and you know that isn't right. "You k-know to cast a p-patronus charm you need the h-happiest memory you've got."

"Happy memory?" Ava deflates at this and you can't help the concern welling up in your chest at the look on her face. "I haven't got too many of those." She shakes her head before pulling her knees to her chest. "The best I've got is first year with Maggie, but I don't think those will work after last year…"

'The Fight' as you've deemed it. It's been brought up before and each time has resulted in your head being nearly blown off so you've resolved not to ask about it. "N-no I don't th-think that'll work. Is there a-anything from back h-home?"

"Home?" Ava looks up, her eyes dark. "Nothing noteworthy there. Maybe I'll never get this." She looks so hopeless and you're can't help but wonder who has ruined her life so thoroughly that nothing seems to be worth it for her.

You stand from your positon across from her and walk around the fire to sit beside her instead. "You'll g-get it, I'm s-sure of it Ava." You wrapped your arm around her shoulder in a comforting gesture, the way you used to for Crow and Raven before they were both 'too old' for it. She smells like cinnamon and ash and something entirely her, not that you're trying to smell her or anything before speaking again. "You're st-stronger than you think."

"Thanks Odin," she hastily wipes away wetness you're sure you weren't supposed to see before leaning against your side. You look down at her, red hair obscuring what you're sure is a blotchy face but you don't say anything and you think this is entirely inappropriate for someone on the staff to be doing with a student. Then you also remind yourself that she is only three years younger than yourself and there is nothing wrong, your conciseness

You think of the time, how it must be past supper and how he should be returning back to Pedri's before he gets into more trouble than necessary. "Ava. I need to l-leave now." You're quick about removing yourself from her side and you with only a moment of hesitation you place a kiss on her forehead before walking off, not looking back to see her reaction.


	3. Chapter 3

"A-Ava."

It's the end of Tuesday's fifth year class and your nightly sessions with Ava trickle down into a bi-weekly thing rather than meeting up every week, nearly every day. In a way you're disappointed but it makes sense, the bits of affection you showed the little redhead were sure to make things awkward. This is worse than you expected. Seeing her in the halls she never make eye contact and as the end of the year approaches you want to speak to her, to clear the air if nothing else.

"C-Can you please stay a-after today?" You both ignore Lacivi who makes a face before skipping out as the bell rings. "Y-You're not in t-trouble or anything."

She nods, hiding her mouth with the thick red non-school regulated scarf she always wears. It's endearing but hides everything far too well for anyone to tell what she's thinking and not knowing what she's thinking is far too unnerving for your tastes. "Yes Professor Arrow?"

Pedri looks at you but doesn't comment as he sweeps out of the room, leaving the two of you alone. "Y-You don't need to c-call me that, y-you known that A-Ava." Pedri hasn't made a sound about your tutoring session nor a comment about the extended time you spend with Ava. You know he thinks about it, he's always watching you.

"Right."

You focus back on Ava who is now sitting on her desk, legs dangling off the edge. "I-I wanted to talk to you about what h-happened before." You bite your lip and pause for a moment. "What I d-did the other day. I-I didn't mean to make you… u-uncomfortable or anything nor did I want to, uh, want to imply anything."

"Oh." You both turn red at the admission and for a moment nothing is said, the sound of students in the background seems closer to thunder than anything else. "It's not that I'm trying to avoid you to be mean or anything, but –" she pauses for a moment nibbling one of her lips "– you're still a professor here and Pedri is looking for whatever way to get me into trouble. He already dislikes me enough as it is. It's not that I don't think you're attractive o-or anything like that I just don't think this is a good time right now."

Now you are completely red and there is almost nothing you can say to that. She is right and there isn't much to say in that case, it doesn't stop you and you're willing to wait at least for a time. "I-I'm not trying to dive straight into a relationship or anything like that. I, you, it was," you're scrambling to try and find a reason for your action. "You were looking for a happy memory and all I could think of was wanting to give you one."

"Oh."

"Odin, it was a real sweet memory," she smiled shyly at you as though not used to doing so. "And I wouldn't mind waiting a while but we've got to, uh." You take a step forward and she slide of the desk to stand in front of you. Pale hands grasp your own and Ava clasps them to her chest. "I think we should take a step back and wait this out."

You nod. "A g-good relationship isn't built on lying to o-others. You're right Ava. So we'll wait." She nods back before taking another step closer place our clasped hands against my own chest. Another step forward and your lips meet.

A chaste kiss your hands trapped between the two of you. There are no sparks or magic and the stars don't align for a single impossible moment. It's a little awkward and it takes a moment for both of you to figure out where to place your hands or how to tilt the head but it's nice.

"Something to remember me by until graduation."

You're left alone in the classroom with the smell of cinnamon, ashes, and cloves.


End file.
